Getting Lost While Hiking in Amadeo

Amadeo, bragged as the "coffee capital" of the country, is a fourth class municipality of Cavite, which means it's a perfect place to wander in and get lost big time while hiking near Tagaytay. I mean, with plenty of wild countryside and pastoral areas still intact, it's ideal for hiking and sightseeing and, well, getting lost a bit to escape stupid city life.

Watch the video below.

Anyway, it's not entirely thickly forested because small subdivisions are gradually popping up and dotting the place--and probably Amadeo is in danger of losing its reputation someday of being the coffee capital. I hope not. I hope the coffee plantations remain preserved and productive and thriving.

It's safe to be lost here because human GPS is available anywhere. You just ask any human you see around about where you are or what direction to take to reach a certain place and you'd get an accurate direction, often more accurate than electronic GPS devices which can sometimes end you up in a creek, swamp or dumpsite.

So we rode a van to Amadeo at 6 in the morning (missed my herbal coffee) and took C5 Road instead of the shorter Skyway because none of us were familiar with the new route---although we've tried it several times before with a driver who was familiar with it. After napping a few moments and some slow traffic we found ourselves on SLEX where we stopped by a bay gas station for snacks and coffee. 

We also needed to get some money via the ATM and make several trips to the comfort rooms and laugh at ourselves because of that. Restroom trips are exciting for local hikers. Hikers sometimes find something hilarious in the most ordinary things, like coffee and heeding nature's call after. It's part of hiking survival, keeping relaxed and positive, and laughing. Believe me, stress can tire you more quickly than hiking itself. So learn to laugh outdoors.

Finally, we reached Crisanto Delos Reyes Avenue and the area around Mahogany Market and started looking for Amadeo. Once we saw Save More we knew we were in Amadeo. From the marker that welcomes you to the "coffee capital," we drove up a bit and started hiking to look for the particular area we were to checkout near FarmVille. Yup, you heard it right. FarmVille. It's not the game. It's an actual place.

From noisy city scenes and modern civilization to rustic quietude and stillness deep in the forest. Sometimes the transition can be arresting, inspiring meditation. But we were lost for a while. Everywhere we looked it looked the same. Same trees, same shrubs, same smell. You can easily get lost in the woods. One bushy farm lot we passed by looked like the one we were looking for, but later a lady came out of the small house wondering, looking at us like we came from another planet. Obviously, it wasn't the place we were looking for. She didn't expect us.

So we hiked on. Finally we saw the spot marked X on the map. Treasure!!! We climbed the uphill "entry" of the would-be subdivision and soon were standing in the middle of the "jungle" property we wanted to checkout. Plenty of banana and other full-grown trees everywhere; it was a shame that most of them would be cut down to give way to the subdivision. 

We surveyed the place and roamed around to check things out further, seeing where the road lots and residential lots would be. There were markers where the road would soon appear and traces of it were already in place, a pathway already cleared. But the place was still largely forested, and I could imagine how exciting it would be to campout here. But soon they're going to level the whole place. I hope they retain the natural sloping contour so we can build a small spilt-level house when the roads and lots are ready.

It's pre-selling time when properties are still at a bargain and this was why we drove out here pronto, making a 3-hour drive from Quezon City early in the morning. We wanted to take advantage of the cheap price. For just Php 600K plus, you get a 120 sqm lot in a walled and guarded subdivision just a few seconds away from the national road and Tagaytay proper. When roads are in place, there will be a nice price markup and that spells profits for you.

By the way, above is the minor road going to the national road a few meters away. Just 5 minutes more and you're in Tagaytay city proper, especially at the LZM Restaurant where we enjoy one of the best fried Daing na Bangus dishes in the country, and of course, large bowls of hot and delicious "Bulalo." And the property is also just 3 to 5 minutes away from Mahogany Market. 

We hiked some more to checkout more properties still lush with wild vegetation and trees and did a bit of a tour around FarmVille Phase 1 (which is already sold out) before we set out to Alfonso in our van for a swell lunch. The trekking and waiting (some documents were prepared and signed) made us all starve. We had vegetable salads, T-bone steaks, Blue Marlin steaks and the restaurant's special bibingka.

Then after lunch we drove around Tagaytay and bought some fruits. No more hiking after a big lunch. We just have to burn the extra calories tomorrow. For now, it's a joy ride around Tagaytay in our van. Though we've been to Tagaytay lots of times before, it feels like a new trip when we're here. Watch the video below.

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River

Image from Wikipedia

The complete name is Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. But locals simply call it "underground river." It's a protected area in Palawan and is more popularly called by tourists as Puerto Princesa Underground River.

It was even "provisionally" picked as belonging to the 7 Wonders of the World (according to Wikipedia) in November 2011.

The underground river is located in the caves under the Saint Paul Mountain Range that dominates the western coast of the island. Yup, most caves, I heard, are underwater. You travel inside them by small boats. Anyway, there is a boat tour available.

To reach the site, you either hike or take a boat from Sabang. And being the Local Hiker, I'd like to go there by hiking. I haven't been there yet, but it's easy to reach. Simply take a plane or boat to Puerto Princesa in Palawan and proceed to Sabang. But of course, the travel is not as easy as it sounds.

A friend told me how they encountered high seas recently on their way to Palawan. This time of year (January to March) it's often like that.

What do you find in the underground river? Well, for starters, massive caves and tunnels beyond your imagination. Strange and also massive stalactite and stalagmite formations that sometimes resemble human forms, and other eerie rock formations. Plus what geologists discovered to be a "second floor" that indicates the presence of waterfalls.

There are large bats and something in the river that would excite divers---a deep hole that leads further down. There are several river channels and countless marine creatures. More areas of the underground river remain unexplored due to lack of oxygen in those places.

Another friend, Jun, who went there about 4 years ago, said there is an immense area in the underground river that looks like a cathedral---some call it a giant dome---as if you were inside a vast cathedral with a very high ceiling and a lot of religious artworks. It is said to inspire worship to God. I can now imagine the very light, almost inaudible organ playing pervading in that "cathedral," the gentle whispers of the notes softly bouncing against the rocks.

In fact, I read somewhere that angels probably gathered there for a Sunday worship service, or something like that.

For some reasons, cameras and videos aided with lights are prohibited inside the caves. Probably, they might affect the rock formations or something. But boat tourist guides know what portions of the underground river are safe for lights and they aim their spotlights on interesting sights of the caves for tourists to see.

Definitely, no touching of anything there. You are not allowed to take with you "souvenirs" of any sort---definitely not the stalactites or stalagmites. I just marvel how nature patiently "sculptured" these amazing rock formations for centuries, one drop of water at a time. Of course, it was God who did all the artwork using nature and the natural processes therein.

Tangkaan Beach - Leyte

From tripadvisor.com.ph

Tangkaan is synonymous with "clear blue waters" for a lot of tourists who have been there. It has lots of rock formations beneath, so if you're one into reef diving, Tangkaan is for you. In fact, most of Tangkaan is crushed corals driven to shore from the sea. So make sure you put on rubber slippers or sneakers when roaming its shores. But where there's sand, you get it white. Lots of tourists, in fact, go back to Tankaan for its white sand.

It's perfect for fishing and snorkeling.

Tangkaan beach is among places you should see when in Southern Leyte. It's public but you can enjoy peace and quiet on weekdays. Better yet, just dive below waist-deep waters and enjoy the underwater scenery to drown out noise when all the locals are there on weekends. But even the locals there provide good company and fun, according to some visitors. They're fun to be with.

Venturing farther from shore into the deeper parts, you may chance upon dolphins, pelagic fish and turtles (especially turtles). Some say you can enjoy sights of turtles just 10 meters away from shore.

From the beach you can see Limasawa  Island from a distance, which is about 30 minutes away by boat. Tangkaan in Padre Burgos is close to Tacloban. Actually, Southern Leyte has Sogod Bay as the main body of water supporting the beaches. So you'd never run out of good beaches there---Peter's Dive Resort, Michael's Resort and Dive, Padre Burgos Castle Resort, Sogod Bay Scuba Resort and of course Tangkaan.

While enjoying a dip in Tangkaan, why not sample their sweet and famous "Budbod" which is sticky rice wrapped and cooked in banana leaves. And then have a full-meal picnic later under a native hut-shed rented out at about P50 each. The entrance to the beach is only P5.

I haven't been to Southern Leyte, not even once, though I've been hearing about how good the places there are, especially if you love eating seafoods. Being Juan Hiker, I "hiked" to places in Leyte on the Net, especially when I was still working for a client with a travel website.

When I was also an artist at the Department of Agrarian Reform, I heard a lot of good things about Hinunangan, Leyte where our housing project for farmers was located.

Mount and Lake Pinatubo - Zambales

Lake Pinatubo
en.wikipedia.org

It was June 15, 1991 when I noticed dark clouds and something like white sand falling from the sky. Later, I learned that it was ash fall from Mount Pinatubo in Zambales which had erupted then. Soon, everything was covered with white, like White Christmas in the US.

Little did we know that it was the second largest terrestrial volcanic eruption in the 20th century.

After so much evacuation in Central Luzon, including Clark Air Base, and after finally recovering from the catastrophe, affected folks in Luzon soon had an almost instant tourist spot to be proud of---Lake Pinatubo.

The lake was formed by the great eruption and has now become among favorite trek destinations of hikers and climbers. Some visitors have described the lake as "a wide jewel of blue and green."

The lake is good for viewing and picture-taking but not for swimming. An Inquirer report came out in 2013 saying the lake is not good for swimming and authorities near the area warned trekkers not to swim there. In fact, a trekker has already drowned there. Trekking up Pinatubo itself is not advisable for all. Only professional mountaineers are allowed.

I have not yet gone to Pinatubo or the lake, but from what I've heard, the place is really something to see. Watching it in a TV program (Juan Hiker also "hikes" and "travels" by watching TV and searching online) was enough to convince me of its breath-taking view.

Mount Pinatubo is one of the Zambales mountains that form the Cabusilan Mountain Range. Others are Mt. Negron, Mt. Cuadrado and Mt. Mataba.

Other provinces near Mount and Lake Pinatubo are Pampanga and Tarlac.